Bristol Hotel owner, management team offer preview tour

The Bristol Hotel, an independent boutique hotel originally slated to open in October, is now scheduled to open in late August, according to its principal owner. Marcus McCall of McCall Capital told reporters during an information session at the hotel May 24 that it would not be open in time for the August races at Bristol Motor Speedway, but would be ready for Rhythm and Roots in September. Charlestowne Hotels is now managing the project.

“We’ll get the keys from the contractor at the end of July,” McCall said. “Then the management company – Kevin (Kruse, general manager) and his crew, Gavin (Philipp, vice president, operations) and his crew – come in, take over the building, train, test the kitchen, and do dry testing in the rooms, so that we’re open sometime in August.”

The seven-story hotel will feature a rooftop bar Kruse says will be “the porch for the people of Bristol.” Kruse has already been in talks with a local cigar shop about hosting a cigar night at the bar. Immediately after the media session, Kruse and three members of his team met with one of the owners of Studio Brew, a local craft brewery. “We want this to be party central for Bristol,” Kruse said.

In contrast, the hotel’s restaurant will be much more family-oriented, said Philipp. “This is going to be a community-driven restaurant with family-style offerings. We’ll do a Sunday supper where people in the local community can come. We may let the community know that on Fridays we’ll do a fish fry and on Sunday we’re doing Sunday supper.”

The hotel will market to the region’s business community as a place to house guests, Philipp said. “Just a few room nights a month from 50 different businesses is possible here. That’s how we’ll build the business along with the ability to do groups and all the social and leisure activities that will be available on the weekends. This will also be an affordable, quick and easy lunch spot for the Bristol business community.”

The hotel’s rooms will be priced at the upper end of the Tri-Cities market range, with nine-foot ceilings and windows that open to provide fresh air. The hotel will employ roughly 75 full-time equivalent personnel.